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 George Charles jones
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| Jacqui |
Posted on 01/06/2010 20:33
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 New Member  Posts: 8 Joined: 01/06/2010 |
My great great grandfather G C Jones was CO at Skerries coastguard station. He kept a diary and it is full of names and events. Although there is a great deal of information about his time at Skerries I have not been able to find out very much about him, or about how the coastguards actually worked. His diaries of 1852 and 1860 give details of daily life and people but I have no idea how to find out where he was before he became a coastguard, or even the date he died. I know his birth details but mainly because he gives them in the diary. If it were not for these two journals I might think he never existed. I am happy to share the information I have in the diaries but am not sure how to go about this and would appreciate some advice. I have not been able to track down George on Ancestry or at Kew so I must be doing something wrong. I look forward to hearing from someone. |
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| crimea1854 |
Posted on 01/06/2010 22:54
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 Administrator  Posts: 906 Joined: 09/07/2007 |
Hi Jacqui and welcome to the Forum. To trace your mans career you need to download the appropriate file from the ADM 175 series of documents that are available for free from the National Archives website. However, one word of caution these files are very large, and broadband is essential. I did check ADM 175/19 and found George Jones at Skerries, to save you a little time the pdf page is 456 of 472. Using this it is possible to track his career both forwards and backwards in time. If you have a problem let me know, as I have these files saved on my computer and can quite quickly extract this info for you. I do hope that you will share some of the more interesting entries in the diary with us, perhaps in the form of a short article? Regards Martin Edited by crimea1854 on 01/06/2010 22:56 |
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| Jacqui |
Posted on 02/06/2010 08:35
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New Member Posts: 8 Joined: 01/06/2010 |
Thank you for your prompt reply. I will try this for myself later today. Meanwhile I have a little information and you may decide if this kind of thing is useful. "A list of the crew of the coast guard station at Skerries on this 1st January 1852 Name Age Rank where born date of apptmnt date of discharge no. of supern fund Geo Chas Jones 56, CO, Reading, Berks, 2nd May 1845 5019. Joseph Clark 38, cb, Harwich 11th Jan 1849 4886 Alex Hamilton 44 cb Lamlash, Bute 6 March 1848 2069 Willm Rickitts 35 btm Fowey, Cornwl 9 April 1850 removd to Portram 13 Dec 1375 Dennis Sullivan 47 btm Beachaven 14 March 1850 2357 John Jones 56 btm Bornatlea (?) Cork1 Nov 1847 2901 Willm Watty 31 btm Fowey Cornwl 24 Sept 1842 2232 William Hamliton 30 btm Alverstoke, Hants 15 Oct 1849 30 Nov by order of Comp (?) Genl & Board ..... 7074 James Cod 36 btm Wexford 16 Dec 52" The diary does describe in limited amount the trial of Rickitts and Hamilton. Let me know if you want more, and thank you again for the very valuable advice. Jacqui |
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| crimea1854 |
Posted on 02/06/2010 09:15
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Administrator Posts: 906 Joined: 09/07/2007 |
Hi Jacqui Selfishly, I would be grateful for any details or comments George may have made about those men from his Station who entered the navy during the Crimean War. If there are any, these should be during 1854. Martin |
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| Jacqui |
Posted on 02/06/2010 09:31
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New Member Posts: 8 Joined: 01/06/2010 |
I would love to be able to help. But I have only two diaries. One for 1852 and the other for 1860. There is reference to a James Smith from Orkney who was in the services and I think he stayed with George in 1852, in 1860 he was in 'Aden, East Indies'. He was the sister of Jessie - George's wife whom he married in 1857. There are quite strong connections with the Orkney Islands. unfotunately I do not recall any references to the Crimea. |
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| Tony |
Posted on 02/06/2010 16:19
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 Administrator Posts: 136 Joined: 28/04/2007 |
Hi Jacqui, The trial of Ricketts and Hamilton sounds very interesting. If you had an approximate date for same I might be able to find more detail in the Irish Newspapers of the time. It would make an excellant article for our site. Tony |
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| Jacqui |
Posted on 02/06/2010 19:28
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New Member Posts: 8 Joined: 01/06/2010 |
Tony wrote: Hi Jacqui, The trial of Ricketts and Hamilton sounds very interesting. If you had an approximate date for same I might be able to find more detail in the Irish Newspapers of the time. It would make an excellant article for our site. Tony |
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| Jacqui |
Posted on 02/06/2010 19:37
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New Member Posts: 8 Joined: 01/06/2010 |
I can trawl the diaries and give you George's view of the incident, which conerns a brawl at Canalls public house on about 17th November 1852. George also reports on the wreck of the Young England on 14th/15th November and the subsequent search for cargo, much of which was purloined and tracked down to various homes in the vicinity. George's diaries contain a multitude of names and succinct details of daily life in the coastguard but it would be quite a job to transcribe it all. However I can try to make whatever material is useful available if you would be kind enough to tell me the best way to do this. Jacqui |
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| Tony |
Posted on 02/06/2010 23:09
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Administrator Posts: 136 Joined: 28/04/2007 |
Thank you for the date. I will check the papers next week. Tony |
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| Tony |
Posted on 04/06/2010 16:35
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Administrator Posts: 136 Joined: 28/04/2007 |
Hi Jacqui, Maybe of interest to you:- Church of Ireland Baptismal Record. Maria Jones of George Charles andJessie Brandonn Baptised 9 August 1865. Born 17 July 1865. Ex Coastguard. Malahide Station. Malahide Parish. Co.Dublin. Thom's Irish Almanac. Jones, G.C. Mr. Malahide. Dublin 1835 - 1843. Jones, G.C. C.O. Carrickfergus, Co.Antrim. 1844 - 1845. Jones, G.C. C.O. Skerries,Co. Dublin 1846 - 1853. Jones, G.C. C.O. Skerries, Co.Dublin. 1857 - 1859. Jones, G.C. C.O. Ballygally, Co.Antrim. 1860 - 1862 C.O. (Commanding Officer) You may be able to check the records at Kew against this man and confirm the above details, Tony |
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| Jacqui |
Posted on 04/06/2010 16:50
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New Member Posts: 8 Joined: 01/06/2010 |
Thank you, that is very helpful and confirms much of what I have now discovered by downloading the file from the National Archives, as recommended by Martin. George was also given a medal, RHS Silver I think, for a rescue in about 1838, so I presume he was working as a coastguard then as well. The name Maria Jane is interesting because I have not heard of this person before now. My great grandmother was George's daughter Catherine Jane born about 1871. Her birthplace is given as Ireland but by 1901 she was living in Liverpool and had married. Thank you for all the advice, everyone is so helpful, I can't believe my luck. Jacqui |
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| Tony |
Posted on 04/06/2010 17:20
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Administrator Posts: 136 Joined: 28/04/2007 |
Some more items for you. The Gainsboro 1839. On the 6th. January 1839 the Gainsboro of Ipswich was wrecked at Baldoyle strand in Gay Brook Cove. The master Daniel Jeffries and crew were saved by the Coastguard under Captain Jones. The wreck is in shallow water visible at low tides. A cannon is reputed to have been found in 1986. A cross at the top of Sea road near the cove commemorates the loss of three of the crewmen. Reference; “Shipwrecks of the Irish Coast” by Edward J.Bourke. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q141 R.N.L.I. Award. 1838 ROSS, THOMAS. Captain, Inspecting Commander, Coastguard, Swords. Gold Medal JONES, GEORGE C. Chief Officer, Coastguard Dublin. Silver Medal BEGG.... Master of a Collier Silver Medal. 29 - 30 November 1838. In a violent gale, heavy rain and mountainous seas, the Brig ‘Gainsborough’, Liverpool to London , was wrecked on shore near Carrickhill Tower, Malahide. Captain Ross sent for a galley and a small fishing boat, which did not arrive until 2 p.m. By this time the gale had increased, blowing directly on shore with seas breaking as high as her mast tops; the galley was launched, manned by Captain Ross and seven volunteers, Mr. Jones and Captain Begg among them. Four attempts were necessary as the galley filled with water, was driven back and damaged, with her oars broken.The Master, two seamen and one boy were saved, three others were drowned. Reference: “Lifeboat Gallantry” by Barry Cox. p.63. Tony |
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| Jacqui |
Posted on 04/06/2010 17:39
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New Member Posts: 8 Joined: 01/06/2010 |
Thank you. I don't know how you do it. Jacqui |
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| willoughr |
Posted on 10/06/2010 12:38
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 Member  Posts: 46 Joined: 03/05/2007 |
Hi Jacqui I have a lot of information on your relative, which you may be interested in, plus his RNLI medal is in my collection. I'd love to see the diaries at some stage. Do feel free to contact me via a pm here. The biographical details are below. Kind regards Roger Biographical details: Born in Reading on 11 March 1796 the son of George Charles and Brittana Jones, George junior was baptised there on 20 October 1802 in St Mary’s Church. Shortly before his fifteenth birthday, he joined the Royal Navy, in which he would serve from 7 February 1811 to 25 May 1816. He thus entered HMS Enterprize on 7 February 1811 as a 14 year old Volunteer, having been recruited by a Mr D Folds, and was rated as a Boy (2nd Class) (TNA ref: ADM 37/3224). He then transferred to the flagship of Rear Admiral A R Legge, HMS Revenge, stationed off Cadiz, as a Volunteer on 19 April 1811, though he was initially rated aboard as a Boy (3rd Class) (TNA ref: ADM 37/2828). Promoted to Volunteer (1st Class) on 30 May 1811, Jones was further promoted on 18 February 1812 to Midshipman. Leaving the Revenge on 19 July 1814, Jones joined the 14 gun sloop HMS Crocus, commanded by Captain John Stoddart (TNA ref: ADM 37/4541). Captain Henry Collier was appointed commander of the Crocus in November 1814 and wrote of Jones and two other Midshipmen on 28 November 1814 that although he had ‘no knowledge of these young gentlemen having just taken command of the sloop, I learn from the First Lieutenant they have always conducted themselves correctly and I have no doubt they will make a good officers having been brought up in a good school with [Rear Admiral] Legge, Sir J Gore and Captains Bateman, Nash and Stewart’ (TNA ref: ADM 6/178/2972), his entry here describing Jones as age 17 and having served three years in the navy. Later, between 7 November 1822 and 5 July 1823, Jones served aboard the Revenue Cruiser Redbreast. On 10 November 1823 Jones was appointed Chief Officer in HM Coastguard as a Treasury civilian appointee and would, by 1857, be on a salary of £100pa (Parliamentary Papers, 1857, 27: 261). He served as Chief Officer initially at Taro, then at Ballywalter from 5 April 1826, then Ballyglass from 28 February 1827 and Malahide from 10 October 1829, where he would remain until 12 June 1843 (TNA ref: ADM 175/16 and 17; Irish Constabulary List, January 1844, p. 134). He then moved to Carrickfergus for nearly two years, after which he transferred to the command of the Skerries coastguard station on 22 September 1845 (TNA ref: ADM 175/19; Irish Constabulary List, January 1857, p. 128). He remained in command there and at neighbouring Balbriggan up to 13 November 1860 (TNA ref: ADM 175/19; Thom’s Directory, 1848 through to 1860). He then assumed command at Ballygally, Co Antrim, remaining there for two years before he finally retired on 24 December 1862 (TNA ref: ADM 175/39/58). Jones was then granted a pension of £78 15s per annum as from 1 December that year, his then address being Brencore Cottage, Balbriggan (TNA ref: PMG 23/3). George Jones married at least twice, his first marriage commencing probably before 1845 (though details of his first wife have yet to be established). Then, following the death of his first wife, he married Jessie Brander Smith, daughter of Presbyterian clergyman George Smith, on 9 November 1857 at Killanley Church, Castleconor, near Ballina, Co Sligo. Moving from Balbriggan, George Jones settled in Malahide, where he lived with his wife at 5 Carlisle Terrace (and in 1869 was also in possession of 2 Castle Terrace nearby: Thom’s Directory, 1869, p. 1658, which styles him as ‘Captain Jones’). He died there on 8 November 1874 and left effects valued at something under £450, his will being proved on 25 November 1876 at the Principal Registry by his widow’s oath, she being the sole executrix (NAD Wills Index, 1876). Roger Willoughby
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| Paul Monod |
Posted on 10/06/2010 16:12
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New Member Posts: 11 Joined: 11/03/2010 |
If you will excuse this suggestion, the diaries have a clear historical importance, and Jacqui should bring them to the nearest county archive to ask about conservation and whether it is possible to have them scanned. Local diaries are surprisingly scarce for this period of Irish history (right after the Famine and the 1848 rebellion), and any archive (including the National Archives of Ireland) would be delighted to have them, but if she doesn't want to donate them, she should find out how to preserve them and make copies available to researchers. Best wishes, Paul. |
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| Jacqui |
Posted on 10/06/2010 16:34
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New Member Posts: 8 Joined: 01/06/2010 |
Thank you for the advice, which I will consider seriously - although the decision is not that of mine alone as my uncle is deeply involved. I have been most impressed and very grateful for the help I have recieved, and information offered to me with such generosity. I had planned to transcribe some passages from the diaries and post them on this site so that others could read them and get a small insight into the life of the coastguards. I will get a move on and try to get something written up later today or tomorrow. Jacqui |
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| dizzeblond |
Posted on 27/06/2013 07:00
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New Member Posts: 1 Joined: 27/06/2013 |
Hello Jacqui, George Charles Jones was my great great grandfather as well. My name is Carolyn and I live in America. I have tons of Genealogy information (descendants) and would love to get in contact with you. George's daughter Jane Katherine was my gg grandmother. This discussion has provided great info that I have been searching for...thank you Willoughr! Contact me at dizzeblond@gmail.com |
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| willoughr |
Posted on 31/07/2013 01:58
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Member Posts: 46 Joined: 03/05/2007 |
Hi Carolyn, I've sent you a pm on this. Roger Roger Willoughby
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